Lu Xiangyang hadn't even asked why yet; he just let Shen Kuangye lead him away.
But soon, his attention drifted elsewhere, Shen Kuangye's palm was so warm.
When they reached the lobby, Lu Xiangyang looked at the people passing by and said shyly, "Brother, there are so many people here."
Shen Kuangye only then realized what he'd been doing. He thought Lu Xiangyang didn't want to hold hands in front of so many people, so he immediately let go. "Then we won't hold hands for now."
"...."
Lu Xiangyang seemed a little unhappy at not holding hands. He answered when asked, but his little mouth was pouting.
Originally, they planned to take a taxi back to the club, but Shen Kuangye noticed Lu Xiangyang subconsciously rubbing his stomach and said, "Let's walk back."
The club wasn't far, and a walk would help with digestion.
Tonight's dinner had suited Lu Xiangyang's appetite perfectly, but afterward, seeing Shen Kuangye feeding the little piggy, he couldn't eat much. Still, he didn't want to refuse, so he ended up eating a bit more. His stomach was still full now.
"Okay," he obediently said.
The weather was gradually turning cooler. Short sleeves were fine during the day, but at night there was a chill.
Lu Xiangyang was wearing just a short-sleeved shirt. The cold wind made him instinctively shrink his neck.
Suddenly, a shoulder pressed down, and warmth slowly spread through him.
He turned and saw Shen Kuangye had taken off his jacket and draped it over him, Shen Kuangye himself was only in a thin T-shirt.
"No need, Brother. You should keep it on yourself."
Lu Xiangyang instinctively wanted to return the jacket, but Shen Kuangye said, "Wear it properly."
Lu Xiangyang stayed quiet, immediately sliding his arms into the sleeves. When he was done, Shen Kuangye even zipped up the jacket for him.
It was starting to feel like he was taking care of a little kid.
Lu Xiangyang silently grumbled to himself.
They walked along the lakeside. The lights were dim, though there were still plenty of pedestrians. Just around them, several couples passed by.
"Baby, it's so cold tonight," a boy said to the girl beside him, whining.
The girl muttered in annoyance, "I told you to wear more. Some people just don't listen." She added, "Fine, I'll let you wear my jacket just this once."
The boy quickly refused, smiling: "No, no, holding your hand keeps me warm enough, okay, baby?"
The girl snorted: "Then hurry up and hold my hand. I'm not responsible if you freeze to death."
They teased and laughed as they walked away, leaving the surroundings suddenly quiet.
Shen Kuangye and Lu Xiangyang walked side by side. Shen Kuangye couldn't help glancing at Lu Xiangyang, only to find him secretly looking back.
Just as Shen Kuangye reached out, he realized Lu Xiangyang's fingers had already found his.
"Brother, are you cold?" Lu Xiangyang whispered.
Shen Kuangye was in good shape; he'd only felt a slight chill just after removing his jacket. Now, he was completely fine.
He paused a few seconds, turned his head slightly to the left, and sheepishly coughed, "A little, maybe."
Lu Xiangyang tilted his head toward the lake. In the dim light, they could only feel their hands gradually moving closer until they were tightly clasped.
"Brother," Lu Xiangyang said again, "we said we'd give each other scores before. Can you secretly tell me what score I get now?"
Holding his hand, Shen Kuangye said, "One hundred."
Lu Xiangyang looked at him, smiling: "That high? So, I'm passing?"
Shen Kuangye smiled slightly: "Not just passing."
Lu Xiangyang paused, his small face full of disappointment: "What? Are you on a thousand-point scale or something?"
"No, so it's not just passing—it's full marks."
"...."
Lu Xiangyang frowned: "You're teasing me again."
Shen Kuangye tilted his head and smiled.
"Can I ask what the deductions would be?"
Lu Xiangyang, ever curious, asked eagerly.
Shen Kuangye pretended to think: "Not eating on time, staying up late, and… keeping everything in your heart without telling me."
Lu Xiangyang tried to defend himself: "Other than the last one, I—"
He paused, realizing he actually hadn't done any of these properly. The first two only barely happened when Shen Kuangye supervised him.
"What did you say?" Shen Kuangye asked knowingly.
Lu Xiangyang decided to bluff: "I did all of it properly!"
"Really?" Shen Kuangye said, neutral as ever.
Lu Xiangyang felt guilty: "Of course. The other day, when we were… you know, I got up early for training every day! At night…" He paused. "I also went to bed early. Didn't you notice I didn't even log into the game? I ate properly too!"
Shen Kuangye had long known all of this in his heart—now he was quietly keeping score.
"So, tell me, what time did you go to bed at night?"
Lu Xiangyang felt his breath tighten. He pretended to ponder: "I think it was eleven? I don't really remember, but I went to bed early every day and didn't check the time."
"That's fine," Shen Kuangye said.
Lu Xiangyang thought he'd gotten off easy and quietly relaxed. But the next second, he tensed again.
He heard Shen Kuangye say softly: "I remembered it all."
Lu Xiangyang: "."
"What?!"
"The other nights, you slept at around 2 AM; on game day, 3:05 AM," Shen Kuangye said, tilting his head toward him. "That should be about right."
Lu Xiangyang: "..."
Seeing no reaction, he tried another angle: "But I got up early! Even if I didn't sleep early, I still got up early, right?"
Shen Kuangye didn't confirm or deny, smiling faintly: "That's true."
Every day he got up early and trained alone with that… little sheep. They laughed together, completely unaware Shen Kuangye was in the corner, playing games while quietly watching the whole thing.
Originally, it should have been him training with Lu Xiangyang daily.
Lu Xiangyang didn't know the resentment brewing inside Shen Kuangye and quietly relaxed.
Feeling a little victorious, he grew bolder: "Brother knows very well about dinner, right? Who has a good appetite when heartbroken?"
He added softly, "And you didn't eat much either, did you?"
Every meal, Shen Kuangye would put down his chopsticks first and head to the training room, practicing for hours.
"You're going to say I got thinner too, huh? Brother has lost more weight than me lately," Lu Xiangyang blurted. "Even when you hug me, it feels different than before."
Shen Kuangye: "."
Seeing no objection, Lu Xiangyang felt confident: "You also say I didn't sleep well. If you were asleep, how could you know what time I went to bed? You wake up later than me, but you get up as early as I do every day."
Shen Kuangye was a little surprised: "How do you know?"
"Hmph," Lu Xiangyang snorted. "I not only know you get up early, I also know every day you stand over there by the club wall and don't want to sit with me."
These words had been bottled up inside him. Today, he began to feel a little aggrieved: "No need to avoid me after a fight. I thought you hated me to death, that's why you wouldn't sit with me."
He hadn't been happy at all, still pretending to chat cheerfully with the little sheep so as not to spread bad mood.
Even during games, he instinctively glanced toward Shen Kuangye, only to look away sadly again.
Seeing Lu Xiangyang about to tear up, Shen Kuangye sighed first: "Don't be sad. It's my fault."
Still upset, Lu Xiangyang lowered his head: "I don't want to talk to you for now."
"Okay," Shen Kuangye asked. "Then when will you be willing to talk to me?"
"In three minutes."
"Alright."
They quietly held hands as they walked a little longer. Lu Xiangyang adjusted his mood. Shen Kuangye counted the seconds—impatiently jumping ahead to the exact moment.
When the time was up, he said: "I don't hate you."
"I just saw you happy training with him and didn't want to disturb your mood."
These things needed to be said; they were hurtful otherwise.
Lu Xiangyang lowered his eyes: "I'm not happy."
Shen Kuangye thought he was. The little sheep thought he was. But in reality, Lu Xiangyang only sounded like he was laughing—his eyes were red.
"Sorry, baby," Shen Kuangye said, still slightly awkward with the nickname. "I made you sad."
Lu Xiangyang shook his hand holding his: "I forgive you."
"See? Brother always has things he doesn't tell me."
Returning to the topic, Lu Xiangyang said, "I feel like I should give you a score too. Right now, your score with me is 50 points."
Not even passing.
Shen Kuangye didn't consider himself top-tier, but now he longed for a perfect score.
"Then, can Teacher Lu tell me what counts as extra points?"
Lu Xiangyang thought for a moment: "Sleep well, don't stay up late, don't keep everything in your heart, and… if you could kiss me before bed after waking up early every day, that'd be even better."
By the end, he was sneakily giving himself some perks.
Shen Kuangye didn't seem to notice, accepting it calmly.
He suddenly leaned over and kissed Lu Xiangyang's cheek, whispering: "Like this?"
Lu Xiangyang was startled by the bold move and instinctively looked around. Luckily, there was no one nearby.
After confirming, he nodded: "Y-yeah, something like that."
Even just a kiss on the cheek made his heart flutter for a long time.
Shen Kuangye asked again: "Does it bother you?"
"What?" Lu Xiangyang didn't understand.
Shen Kuangye pressed his lips slightly: "Does it bother you that I'm a boy, kissing you outside?"
Lu Xiangyang was flustered: "No way."
He suddenly remembered his own earlier action—it was easy to misinterpret, but thought just explaining wouldn't help.
So he seized the moment, tiptoed slightly, and kissed Shen Kuangye on the lips.
He felt Shen Kuangye's hand tighten around his for a moment.
"I don't mind," he murmured, blushing. "I like you—for you, that's all."